Search
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Death on the Nile (2022) in Movies
Feb 7, 2022
Originally set to release in December of 2019; the long-delayed cinematic retelling of Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile” has finally arrived in cinemas. The last cinematic version of the classic book arrived in 1978 and this time; Director and star Kenneth Branagh beings his version of Master Detective Hercule Poirot to Egypt after a chance encounter with his friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) while on vacation; Poirot attends the wedding of wealthy socialite Linette Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and notices that she has married a man named Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer).
The wedding is a bit of a shock to many as just six weeks prior Doyle was engaged to Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), and Poirot observed the two of them in a London club and how Ridgeway was introduced to Simon by her friend Jacqueline.
The wedding reception is disrupted by the arrival of Jacqueline and Linette and Simon confides in Poirot that she has been following them around the world and asks the Detective to encourage her to leave them alone so they can get on with their life.
Jacqueline is highly disturbed and pleads her love for Simon and shows a gun which leads Poirot to encourage the newlyweds to abandon their overseas plans and go home. Simon and Linette press on and decide to take their wedding party on a cruise of the Nile in an attempt to get away from Jacqueline.
The plan seems to be working well until Jacqueline shows up as a ticketed passenger at a stop along the way. When a near-fatal accident occurs followed by a murder; Poirot must investigate the guests to find the killer. Naturally, there is plenty of motivation to go around, and as the deaths mount; Poirot must use his genius to find the killer.
The movie takes its time getting started but the CGI-enhanced scenery and the strong cast are very compelling and set the pieces in place very well. While I was able to solve the mystery about halfway into the film, some of the details around it were cleverly concealed and there were plenty of twists that had me consider other possible suspects.
Some may find the film a bit slow but that is the nature of a good mystery as time is given to developing the characters and their motives which adds to the suspense of the film.
In the end, the film is an engaging mystery that recalls the classic movie mysteries of old and it will be very interesting to see if audiences will embrace the film in the same way as they did with “Murder on the Orient Express” and audiences will get more Poirot adventures from Branagh in the near future.
4 stars out of 5.
The wedding is a bit of a shock to many as just six weeks prior Doyle was engaged to Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), and Poirot observed the two of them in a London club and how Ridgeway was introduced to Simon by her friend Jacqueline.
The wedding reception is disrupted by the arrival of Jacqueline and Linette and Simon confides in Poirot that she has been following them around the world and asks the Detective to encourage her to leave them alone so they can get on with their life.
Jacqueline is highly disturbed and pleads her love for Simon and shows a gun which leads Poirot to encourage the newlyweds to abandon their overseas plans and go home. Simon and Linette press on and decide to take their wedding party on a cruise of the Nile in an attempt to get away from Jacqueline.
The plan seems to be working well until Jacqueline shows up as a ticketed passenger at a stop along the way. When a near-fatal accident occurs followed by a murder; Poirot must investigate the guests to find the killer. Naturally, there is plenty of motivation to go around, and as the deaths mount; Poirot must use his genius to find the killer.
The movie takes its time getting started but the CGI-enhanced scenery and the strong cast are very compelling and set the pieces in place very well. While I was able to solve the mystery about halfway into the film, some of the details around it were cleverly concealed and there were plenty of twists that had me consider other possible suspects.
Some may find the film a bit slow but that is the nature of a good mystery as time is given to developing the characters and their motives which adds to the suspense of the film.
In the end, the film is an engaging mystery that recalls the classic movie mysteries of old and it will be very interesting to see if audiences will embrace the film in the same way as they did with “Murder on the Orient Express” and audiences will get more Poirot adventures from Branagh in the near future.
4 stars out of 5.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Stranger Game in Books
Feb 3, 2020
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-14.png"/>;
When Rebecca's boyfriend Ezra goes missing, she knows something is not quite right. But when she reports it to the police, they don't seem to really care. They suspect he's been playing ''The Stranger Game'', a game that went viral, where people take social media behaviour on the streets and start following each other in real life.
<b><i>The rules of the game are simple:</i></b>
<i>* You must choose a random person.
* You cannot make contact with other people (or tell them you're playing the game)
* You mustn't follow the same person twice.</i>
But as the game spreads, the rules start to change, and people start disappearing without a trace.
In hope that she she can find her man, Rebecca starts playing the game herself. But the more she gets involved, the bigger the risk is.
<b>When I read the synopsis about ''The Stranger Game'' by Peter Gadol, I knew I had to read the book. It is a plot that intrigues me and I am always up for reading more psychological thrillers.
But this book's delivery was weak. I found the story very slow and unintriguing, with no exceptional plot twists and with a disappointing and rather predictable ending. </b>
Rebecca was a difficult character to begin with. The writing in the chapters felt different, even though it was the same character's point of view. I was left very confused. I just wanted to get a better glance at ''The Stranger Game''. And I did, but the game scenario was so much different compared to the synopsis - which was only slightly annoying. But to top up the annoyance, there was a huge lack of mystery and suspense throughout the book. I just stopped caring whether Rebecca was going to find Ezra or not. I did not care whether her life was in danger. I was that unbothered.
<b><i>On a positive note,</i></b>
I did enjoy the psychological theme and people's behaviour. I always want to know more about how and why people behave in a certain way and this book definitely opened some interesting discussion points.
<b><i>Do I recommend it? Yes.
If you like human psychology and behaviour, this is a good book to have on your stack. But will this be the next mystery and suspense hit? Probably not...</i></b>
Thank you to team at HQ (Harper Collins Publishers), for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
<i>''The Stranger Game'' comes out on 5th September 2019.</i>
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-14.png"/>;
When Rebecca's boyfriend Ezra goes missing, she knows something is not quite right. But when she reports it to the police, they don't seem to really care. They suspect he's been playing ''The Stranger Game'', a game that went viral, where people take social media behaviour on the streets and start following each other in real life.
<b><i>The rules of the game are simple:</i></b>
<i>* You must choose a random person.
* You cannot make contact with other people (or tell them you're playing the game)
* You mustn't follow the same person twice.</i>
But as the game spreads, the rules start to change, and people start disappearing without a trace.
In hope that she she can find her man, Rebecca starts playing the game herself. But the more she gets involved, the bigger the risk is.
<b>When I read the synopsis about ''The Stranger Game'' by Peter Gadol, I knew I had to read the book. It is a plot that intrigues me and I am always up for reading more psychological thrillers.
But this book's delivery was weak. I found the story very slow and unintriguing, with no exceptional plot twists and with a disappointing and rather predictable ending. </b>
Rebecca was a difficult character to begin with. The writing in the chapters felt different, even though it was the same character's point of view. I was left very confused. I just wanted to get a better glance at ''The Stranger Game''. And I did, but the game scenario was so much different compared to the synopsis - which was only slightly annoying. But to top up the annoyance, there was a huge lack of mystery and suspense throughout the book. I just stopped caring whether Rebecca was going to find Ezra or not. I did not care whether her life was in danger. I was that unbothered.
<b><i>On a positive note,</i></b>
I did enjoy the psychological theme and people's behaviour. I always want to know more about how and why people behave in a certain way and this book definitely opened some interesting discussion points.
<b><i>Do I recommend it? Yes.
If you like human psychology and behaviour, this is a good book to have on your stack. But will this be the next mystery and suspense hit? Probably not...</i></b>
Thank you to team at HQ (Harper Collins Publishers), for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
<i>''The Stranger Game'' comes out on 5th September 2019.</i>
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Adrift (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Sinking ship
#adriftmovie is an uninspiring & disjointed film that fails to stay afloat during its short run time. Have you ever seen the film #Allislost with #robertredford ? if the answer is no waste no time with Adrift & rush out & buy that instead right now, its a #masterpiece & #Adrift is the opposite. So why am I comparing the 2? well 'All Is Lost' not only has a similar story but it does everything Adrift fails at & does it exceptionally well. 'All is lost' manages to tell its tragic tail not only with actual #heart & #soul but fantastically without much dialog too, the cinematography is also stunning & the #bond it successfully helps us build with its main character is tremendous & emotionally powerful. Adrift manages none of this - its told out of chronological order which kills suspense & mystery as well as making the film feel messy, the acting isn't great but that could be down to the atrocious/laughably basic dialog, the #soundtrack makes the tone feel unbalanced & the green screen at times is appalling. Its an ok watch but at a short 1h 30m it drags & by the time we finally get to see the accident I'd lost interest completely. Its a shame because I like #SamClaflin as an actor & there was some nice camera work & some #lovely establishing shots. All in all is a big missed opportunity to give this #heartbreaking #truestory the film it deserves & in the end its a film that just ends up being below average at best. #odeon #odeonlimitless #mondaymotivation #ShaileneWoodley #boobs #movie #filmcritic #cinifile #sad #tragic #filmreview #love #beautiful
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Girl on the Train in Books
Mar 15, 2018
2015 has only just begun, and already we may have one of the year's best suspense novels on our hands. This book follows Rachel, an alcoholic who has developed a fantasy life in her head for an attractive couple she sees in their home from her commuter train every day. When the wife of said couple goes missing, she can't help but involve herself in the mystery, which rather unsurprisingly winds up further complicating her life. The story moves back and forth in time, and is told from the perspectives of Rachel, her ex-husband's new wife Anna, and the missing woman Megan (who Rachel initially refers to as Jess in her fantasy). No one in the story seems to be trustworthy, as they all hide information and/or outright lie to each other in order to achieve their goals, which makes getting to the bottom of things that much more challenging for everyone, including the reader. Despite all the characters being heavily flawed, most of them come across sympathetically, which helps one actually care about their fates. Rachel in particular is well fleshed out, and comes the closest to being outright likable, which is quite a feat considering how unbalanced she is. The plot moves along at a very brisk pace and builds up to such a suspenseful conclusion that it is a hard book to put down. It may be a little dark for some people's tastes, but I found it to be one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated I am Pilgrim in Books
Mar 15, 2018
This novel has been garnering high praise all summer long so I was very excited to get into it, and I was certainly not disappointed. This suspense novel simultaneously tells the story of a mysterious murder in New York City and a potential terrorist plot in the Middle East that could have unimaginably catastrophic effects for civilization as we know it. The protagonist, who has gone by many names throughout his life, is a compelling and necessarily flawed character. There are certainly things about him that one could find disagreeable, but he is still more than human enough to be worth rooting for. The other primary characters are also fleshed out enough to be equally compelling. As for the plot, it jumps around the world and across decades smoothly and at such a breakneck pace that it gets harder and harder to put this book down as it goes. While the mystery winds up being satisfyingly twisty, it is the terrorist plot that is the main point of the book, and it is easily one of the most plausibly horrifying things I have ever read. Suffice it to say that it has added something new to my list of worries, and I certainly hope that some actions are taken to ensure something like this never happens in real life. This is one of the most entertaining (and harrowing) books I have read this year, and is likely to wind up on more than a few end-of-the-year best lists.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Not That I Could Tell in Books
May 29, 2018
Where the $#%#% is Kristen!?!?!
This book will take you up and down, and back around again just trying to answer that question. I really enjoyed the suspense that builds up throughout this - and it's a fun, easy read as well. A bit "Big Little Lies" -esque, this story follows a group of neighbors (mostly moms), who let their hair down one night with some wine, and stories, and some neighborly bonding while their children and families sleep unaware of the mystery they will wake up to Monday morning - Kristen, has disappeared.
You wonder throughout the WHOLE BOOK where she went. You think it's one thing, then you think it's another (I wish there was more of this though - I didn't question many characters, and wished there were more angles to point fingers) but ultimately the end is satisfying, yet a little predictable, and then WHAM! Total surprise! I loooooved the end of this book!
I have read a few books in the past that each chapter is dedicated to a character. I find this a bit hard to keep track when its three or more characters. This book primarily follows two, Clara and Izzy, who are very likeable although troubled. I loved this technique of just following two people and watching all the drama in this entire neighborhood unfold.
The writing is smart, and clever and progresses very smoothly. This story of how well you really know the people around you, flows really well, and is definitley a page-turner, and I'm glad I read this.
This book will take you up and down, and back around again just trying to answer that question. I really enjoyed the suspense that builds up throughout this - and it's a fun, easy read as well. A bit "Big Little Lies" -esque, this story follows a group of neighbors (mostly moms), who let their hair down one night with some wine, and stories, and some neighborly bonding while their children and families sleep unaware of the mystery they will wake up to Monday morning - Kristen, has disappeared.
You wonder throughout the WHOLE BOOK where she went. You think it's one thing, then you think it's another (I wish there was more of this though - I didn't question many characters, and wished there were more angles to point fingers) but ultimately the end is satisfying, yet a little predictable, and then WHAM! Total surprise! I loooooved the end of this book!
I have read a few books in the past that each chapter is dedicated to a character. I find this a bit hard to keep track when its three or more characters. This book primarily follows two, Clara and Izzy, who are very likeable although troubled. I loved this technique of just following two people and watching all the drama in this entire neighborhood unfold.
The writing is smart, and clever and progresses very smoothly. This story of how well you really know the people around you, flows really well, and is definitley a page-turner, and I'm glad I read this.
Merissa (13178 KP) rated Crossing the Barrier (The Gray Eyes Series #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Crossing the Barrier is the first book in the Grey Eyes series, and starts off with Lily who is an empath. She has worked hard on her 'shields' which help negate the effects of feeling everyone's emotions. These shields came into being partly because of the 'loving' relationship she has with her mother. However, a bump on her head loses her those shields and she has to find a way to cope. Malakai is the wide receiver (and yes, I had to google what that was!) and has been fascinated with the pretty clarinet player since Freshman year. However, he never had a chance to speak to her... until he ploughed into her and knocked her off her feet. Theirs is a turbulent relationship, not always because of them, but because of circumstances outside of their control.
This is a very well written YA Romance, that has more of a hint of paranormal about it. The story flows very well, and the characters are solid. There are no grammatical or editing errors to disrupt the reading flow. With hints of mystery, suspense, danger, as well as romance, this is a book that ticks many boxes. If I did half stars, then it would be a 4.5, but I don't, so it isn't ;) However, I do highly recommend this book for anyone who likes High School angst with a hint of paranormal and a dash of romance.
* I received this book from YA Reads in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a very well written YA Romance, that has more of a hint of paranormal about it. The story flows very well, and the characters are solid. There are no grammatical or editing errors to disrupt the reading flow. With hints of mystery, suspense, danger, as well as romance, this is a book that ticks many boxes. If I did half stars, then it would be a 4.5, but I don't, so it isn't ;) However, I do highly recommend this book for anyone who likes High School angst with a hint of paranormal and a dash of romance.
* I received this book from YA Reads in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Keep Her Safe: A Novel
8.7
Rate It
Book
Making a Murderer meets Scandal in this story of police corruption, family secrets, and illicit...
mystery thriller romance
Great House
6.7
Rate It
Book
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011, Nicole Krauss's Great House is a haunting story...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Dead Body Language in Books
Jul 24, 2020
Unexpected Body in the Cemetery
Connor Westphal has moved from San Francisco to the town of Flat Skunk in California’s gold country, where she is running the weekly paper she inherited from her grandparents. When Lacy Penzance comes in to place an ad to track down her long-lost sister, Connor readily agrees. Then Lacy takes back her ad. The next morning, Lacy is found dead. The sheriff doesn’t think it is the suicide it was staged to look like. Under the guise of writing an article about Lacy, Connor begins to investigate. Will she find the killer?
What I haven’t mentioned so far is that Connor is deaf. I found this character trait to be an interesting addition to the mystery, and it really added suspense to the climax. Connor is an all-around strong character, and I enjoyed getting to meet her friends here as well. The plot is strong, although I have a couple niggles about who the killer turned out to be. Even so, I have to admire the strong plotting; I missed several major clues. I did find there to be a few more four-letter words than I was expecting, and I think there were timeline issues, although I might have added an extra day in there somewhere as I was reading. I originally read this book close to when it was originally released in 1997, but I never read the rest of the series. I’m looking forward to fixing that soon.
What I haven’t mentioned so far is that Connor is deaf. I found this character trait to be an interesting addition to the mystery, and it really added suspense to the climax. Connor is an all-around strong character, and I enjoyed getting to meet her friends here as well. The plot is strong, although I have a couple niggles about who the killer turned out to be. Even so, I have to admire the strong plotting; I missed several major clues. I did find there to be a few more four-letter words than I was expecting, and I think there were timeline issues, although I might have added an extra day in there somewhere as I was reading. I originally read this book close to when it was originally released in 1997, but I never read the rest of the series. I’m looking forward to fixing that soon.